Do we Actually say Thank you?
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (Psalm 107:8-9 NKJV)
The Redeemed
The children of Israel were those who were redeemed in this Psalm. The believers in Christ are those who are redeemed in our day of grace. What does it mean to be redeemed? The best explanation in my opinion is to regain or buy back something that was once owned and possessed but that has been lost. Israel was redeemed with a Passover lamb from Egyptian slavery. We who are believers in Christ have been redeemed from the bondage of the curse of the law according to Galatians 3:13. When the children of Israel were out in the desert, after their deliverance, they began to wonder how they were going to eat and drink. The Lord miraculously gave them water and manna (and they also had animals that were eaten during feast days). They should have been satisfied. We who are believers are given water (the Holy Spirit) and food (the word of God). We should be satisfied. But are we?
True Satisfaction
I have a gospel paper that is titled, “Where is True Satisfaction Found?” I think my reader will know that the tract makes the case that the only true satisfaction in this world is found in Christ. However, to be satisfied, we must be longing for spiritual food and we must be hungry for that which the Lord provides.
I suppose that those of us who are somewhat addicted to coffee, we long for that first cup in the morning. It satisfies. If we are really hungry the smell of people grilling steak on a nice summer evening makes us long for a nice juicy steak. In like manner, we will not be satisfied with the good things that God provides spiritually unless we are hungry and thirsty.
We often sing, “Now none but Christ can Satisfy.” I don’t sing it because I know I would be lying. There are a lot of things in life that satisfy me besides Christ. I am not saying that they should, but I am saying that they do. Unfortunately, life has a lot of substitutes for the real thing. We have substitute sugar, and substitute salt. Sugar and salt are the two things that make food taste good. The Bible leaves out the sugar in the meal offering and leaves in the salt. I suppose the sugar represents the pleasures of the world while the salt represents that which makes us thirsty for the things of the Lord. But often we long for the sugar and forget to include the salt in our spiritual diet.
So Are We Satisfied?
Before I was saved, I was hungry and thirsty for the salvation that God was offering. No man could satisfy my longing to know that I was truly saved. It was the Word of God that gave me that assurance when once I let God speak through His Word. Since then I have been enjoying the refreshing satisfying water that God provides when I read His Word and meditate on the blessings that He has provided us.
In this Psalm, the Psalmist starts out saying “O give thanks to the Lord.” That seems to be a command. Then four times he says, “O that men WOULD give thanks to the Lord for HIs wonderful works to the children of men.” Obviously we should give thanks, but obviously we don’t always. We need to be reminded that even God likes to hear His people say, “Thank you!” once in a while. We thank the world and our friends for things that they do for us that only satisfy temporarily. And yes, there are things in this world that seem to satisfy. For example, we might buy a new or different car, or our favorite team might win the Super Bowl, or we might get a new higher paying job. However we need to honestly give thanks for the true satisfaction (the wonderful works) that only God can provide.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of November 27, 2022